Grimgar - Episode 8: Revenge

It seems, we return to the slow, relaxed pace of Grimgar, as it had been before. However, it was a good thing that they did not change the emotional story Grimgar managed to become. Last episode, we finally see Mary getting warm with the group. Now, we see Haruhiro (finally) exacting revenge for Manato's death, and Mary opening up even more. Spoilers, intentional or otherwise, follow. 

As with the story these last few episodes, it focuses on them closing their gap with Mary as all of them have experienced the loss of a friend. Awkward conversation at the start, about Haruhiro and Mary not being able to sleep well as they were thinking about said loss. Then, he said that he'll avenge Manato no matter what.

One interesting thing that also happened was when Mary called Haruhiro with "Haru." Poor Ranta got ignored whenever he mentioned it; as he always have been when saying something unnecessary.

I've had no idea goblins (are smart enough to) play chess.

Then, the group attacked a goblin encampment in a ruined building. I have to say, this episode gave us lots of good action, with everyone picking a target and fought.

I, like many others, was surprised to see Mary being an actual team player, switching with Haru and healing Yume (who got skewered! That was a first). Aside that, Moguzo attacked a big goblin, while Haruhiro and Yume ganged up on the boss with nice tactics. Meanwhile, Yume actually scored some hits, and Ranta got two goblins teaming up on him.

One thing of note here was that the goblins actually know how humans fight, and adjust their tactics accordingly, dodging many attacks. I tend to think that while this could potentially be a great plot twist, this would be forgotten by the next episode. But we'll see.

Also, while the teamwork and actual battle is nothing to criticize about, the animation was a little clunky at some places. I dunno, it just seemed less smooth for some reason, at some scenes, and the angles could be a little better. Also, that insert song at the start of the fight, and the upbeat music after Mary got shot, was a little out of place. But perhaps that's just my feelings.

As they chase the goblin captain, -SPOILER- Mary got hit by an arrow at the back. Now, to avoid the story being repetitive, she won't die. And it turned out I was right.

However, this led to Haruhiro chasing a goblin up to the roof. And it turned out, the goblin has the black dagger that was dropped back when Manato died. Convinced that goblin was the one who killed him, Haruhiro attacked in a flurry, and flung the thing off the roof after stabbing it, with Yume's help. Nice.

Just one question: how could Haruhiro be sure that goblin was the one that shot the arrow? Because it shot Mary? The dagger could've as easily been picked up by some other random goblin.

The group went to Manato's grave and said how they've become a good team.

And finally, finally, after three-quarters of a season, they became proper volunteer soldiers by buying those tags. Shihoru gave one to Manato, as a honorary member. After that, more crying. Yes, this seems less sudden than his death. It also became quite an important scene that they played the credits here, with the ending, Harvest, which was sung by Shihoru's voice actor.

On the way back, Mary actually smiled. Perhaps she finally felt in place with her new friends. Yep, she had become a proper group member.

Then, more awkward connections by Haruhiro, by thinking about magic not being able to heal emotions when they were talking about magic not being able to repair Mary's robe that was shot. However, at this point, he opened up that they already knew that Mary lost three of her friends--although there had been hints before. Funny that Mary didn't pick up on those.

See, a short story. That's about it for this episode, as they managed to avenge Manato, while getting even closer with Mary. That's all there is for this episode's Grimgar. Until Friday, then, as I have my exams.

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Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is originally a light novel by Ao Juumonji, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.

Photography Class: Panning Tips

My mid-term tests shall start tomorrow, thus I'll give some content other than reviews for today.

One of the most impossible tasks for me a week ago: panning. Putting it simply, you'll point the lens , focusing on and then following a moving object and the background shall blur.

However, doing so was anything but simple. As people learn best from mistakes, I'll just give an idea of how a panning shot could look like, then give my failed shots. Lots of them, in fact, as I took more failed shots than good ones. All pictures are taken with my Canon EOS 600D on 19 Febuary.

Edited on Adobe Photoshop CS6
Shutter speed: 1/40 s
Aperture: f/13
ISO: 800

There we go, captured the moment of two GrabBikers conversing in the middle of the road.

Such is the safety in Indonesia. But anyway, thank you for the opportunity, Sirs.

That was the product of lots of trial and errors; mostly errors. The only frustrating thing in taking panning pictures is to actually stay focused on the object, making it sharp and panning only the background.

One important thing to make your photos pan is to increase your shutter speed to around 1/40 seconds and above, and make sure your hand stays steady during panning. Maybe rotating on a tripod would work better.

Shutter speed: 1/40 s
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 800

Right, this one is not that bad: a security guard patrolling on his bike. See that the car on the background would be better off if it was passing the bike, more to the left of the picture. We can't control the conditions; this is not still life.

One thing to save some pain and immediately capture a good moment is to let your camera judge the aperture needed by setting it at time-value (Tv) for Canon, Pentax and some others, or shutter priority for Nikon, Sony, Olympus, and others. That way, you'll set the speed yourself and get the brightness needed by letting the camera automatically adjust the aperture.

Shutter speed: 1/25 s
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 800

This was the first proper panning I got, and it's not even that meaningful a scene.

Now, notice how small the bike is? Welcome physics. The longer the focus is, the more you'll move the image by rotating it at a certain angle. Sometimes, keeping the focus length lower could be better for aiming the camera properly.

Shutter speed: 1/25 s
Aperture: f/25
ISO: 800

Now, one of my failed shots. It seems I panned too slowly this time; I think so, at least.

Remember that in autofocus, the camera needs some time to scan and focus the image. However, unless you could focus faster than the auto, do use this mode to save time.

Shutter speed: 1/25 s
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 800

I think, for this one I panned to quickly. Such was the difficulty at getting a good image; though if this is the style you're looking for, do go for it.

Oh and now, bikers do not use helmets. Who should change, really?

Shutter speed: 1/25 s
Aperture: f/25
ISO: 800

Again, panned too quickly. Also, usually it should be much better if we could capture the whole object in the picture, not cutting it in half like this car.

Shutter speed: 1/25 s
Aperture: f/13
ISO: 800

Now, I have no idea what happened here. It seems the image is focused more on the driver's cab. I think, I zoomed in (increased the focus) a little as the photo was taken. Only if the driver was more focused...

There we go, some tips from my failures in panning. I still have much to do, what with tomorrow's first mid term test. So long.

GATE S2 - Episode 8: Lover

With the order to capture all tratiors issued by Zolzal last episode, everyone is on the run. This episode eight, Lover, shall leave the story of Itami and his troupe for a while, and focus on Sherry, the little girl obsessed with Sugawara. Beware of spoilers, intentional or otherwise.

Oh, and this time, the title of this review is the same as the title of the episode, which is perfectly fitting.

The story opens with Itami using a stick to choose a path to go, with Lelei complaining that they won't find any resources on the way. Thus, they fled again.

That's it for Itami and the girls, plus the captain from last episode. We meet Sherry again, who was told to escort Marquess Cassel to a hidden exit, for the special force dubbed "the Cleaners" is coming to Sherry's house.

However, Sherry's parents were forced to burn down their mansion, after trusting Sherry to continue their family's bloodline. Apparently, Sherry could be a big player in GATE.

The fate that befell Sherry's parents were not that emotional as we never even saw much of her parents before. However, it became clear she was strong and accepting (low Psycho-Pass? Wow references...), as she quickly adapted to the situation and haggled charismatically with someone in the town to get some food in exchange for some of Sugawara's pearls. Although, the tip when the Jade Palace's guards change would be unnecessary information. 

Though quite a funny scene, I doubt a twelve-year-old should be able to intimidate an adult. But oh well. Whatever the Japanese need for a badass (for lack of words) little girl. We rarely see these characters, anyway.

In the town, the Cleaners crashed house after house to flush out the Marquess. Realizing their position, Sherry pointed out that they should seek refuge with the Japanese. And thus, they ran, while the piglike servant of Tyuule carefully watched them.

Here, see what I said earlier that the changing guards do not matter. The two entered the Jade Palace with permission from the guards, up until beyond the lawn that marked Japan's territory. Sadly, Sugawara did not let them in. Thus, Sherry said that she must see him as she was his future wife.

Okay, once more, this is just creepy. And I won't comment about this again.

Sugawara himself felt that he needed to put his feelings and sympathy aside to do his job as a diplomat, and as such, he rejected the two, even after knowing one refugee was Sherry.

This one, while having a predictable ending as usual where he'll soften up, was a good conflict. This internal conflict, where one side of him that he shouldn't as he was merely following orders from the Ministry, he also want to help, although his face doesn't show that. For me, this hit harder than the death of Sherry's parents.

Just then, the Cleaners came, and Marquess Cassel submitted without a fight. This is befitting for the Marquess, however what happens next is just wrong. Either that or I'm really not into romance. However, this will add even more conflict to GATE.

As expected, Sugawara went out and called Sherry, giving her permission to step in Japanese land. An elder guard hit the commander of the Cleaners (that does sound funny; I can't remember their official name), thereby freeing Sherry from his grasp.

This act triggered something that will be considered treasonous. The Cleaners want to take hostage of Sherry, while Princess Pina's knights were sworn to defend the Jade Palace. Thus, they clashed swords.

What's wrong here is that Cassel, the leader of the peace-seeking senators, was taken, while Sugawara embraced Sherry, and a battle that may crack the Empire happened in front of their eyes. Typical, typical for GATE. However, this does set things in motion for the next episode. Until next week.

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GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri is originally a light novel by Takumi Yanai, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.

Star Wars Rebels S2 - Episode 16: Cooperation of the Honorable Ones

I know, I've only been doing reviews lately, but I got piling work, and the mid term is coming. These reviews are just quicker to do and is already a mainstay, and besides, I could train my writing. So here we go:

Last episode, Hera fixed up her relationship with her father, while bringing a new carrier for the Fleet. Now, once more we focus on Zeb, and unexpectedly enough, Agent Kallus, in episode sixteen of Star Wars Rebels: The Honorable Ones. Be alerted for spoilers, intentional or otherwise.

The first thing I thought about was: Rex! and: Geonosis! Such great parts of The Clone Wars. However, I am reminded that this is Star Wars Rebels and not The Clone Wars. As expected, Rex will not have a large role, sadly enough. Geonosis won't be a large setting here, either.

The Rebels approached Geonosis, seeing a large orbital construction of the Empire. Upon scanning the surface of the planet, Chopper got no Geonosians on the sensors, and thus the rebels investigated the station. Unsurprisingly, the place became a trap of the Empire's. As the stormtroopers pin the rebels, Zeb got separated and faced off with Agent Kallus. Unable to reinforce, the others were forced to flee.

The scenes where the rebels flee were quite entertaining, with the Ghost doing barrel rolls (just for show), blasting TIEs and walkers in the base. I thought we'll never see walkers in space again after that one episode of The Clone Wars.

Yeah, I'm always going to be nostalgic with the Clone Wars, even if it was only a year ago since I've watched it.

And so, Zeb got off in an escape pod, and Agent Kallus got trapped in the same pod, which crash-landed in one of Geonosis' moons.

Now, while the characters and settings are completely different from The Clone Wars, the premise is exactly the same as when Obi-Wan and Anakin got captured with Count Dooku by the pirates. They'll need to work together at the end.

However, Kallus is not Dooku.

The two exchanged their views, as expected. They needed to work together in the instance, so why not use the moment to make the other submit to their faction? Kallus asked Zeb to surrender, while Zeb pointed out that all the Empire had done were unfair. However, it all started to change when the lantern died. We start to see Kallus' personality leaking out, feeble like the Empire stereotype. 

Before continuing, I'll comment on the atmosphere once more, right away. This cave gives a good setting for the contrast in lighting Rebels have always been great in, with that glowing meteorite.

The cave wasn't empty. This cross of a pterodactyl and a lizard appeared and tried to eat Zeb, who hid in the pod. Here, their real teamwork began, as Kallus picked up his bo-rifle and fired on the dragon with Zeb. Nice and tense action, by the way.

Things cooled back down, and Zeb took a look at Kallus' bo-rifle. Here, we got to his story: where he met a Lasat that gave him his rifle as he was a honorable opponent. And another story, when he was a cadet, only he survived an attack from a Lasat warrior. Indeed, Zeb could relate to him now.

Before, Kallus seems only like the usual villain, answering only to the Emperor. But who knew he has another side, his tragic past. Perhaps, he might change sides.

They made their escape together, as two creatures attacked. They swung from column to stalactite, pulling off more tense moves. Just another great job in the action, here. Now out from the cave, the two activated the transponder and waited.

As the Ghost lands, Zeb bid farewell to Kallus, who returned to an Empire cruiser with an empty feeling. Very emotional ending, and this emotional ending shall make us think what shall become of Kallus through the next episodes.

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Star Wars Rebels is a series by Disney Lucasfilms.

Grimgar - Episode 7: Heartwarming

At this rate, Grimgar may actually have a decent story. Not good, but decent, at least. Last time we delved into Mary's background, and now, in episode 7, They Were Called Goblin Slayers, we see that this group grinds goblins day after day, as their teamwork became polished. Spoiler alert, intentional or otherwise.

The episode started with a review of Mary's background, but in more detail, giving us a flashback where she must abandon her friends, or rather, let her party leader sacrifice himself for her to run. Quite nice that we got to see another point of view of this battle. Perhaps our band will face that boss some time near the finale.

On the way back from meeting the Orion party, Ranta stopped and ranted about why they should befriend Mary, who seemed to have no interest in warming up with the rest of them. In the end, Shihoru spoke up about how they were all affected by deaths of close ones. 

This one scene was actually quite deep for me. They resolved their differences and Ranta even apologized, while Haruhiro learned that Ranta feels that he was never listened too. 

Then, let the depth and emotion continue, something never before seen in Grimgar, truthfully. At the ruined city, the group talked to Mary about their lost friend, Manato, and that they wanted Mary in their group as they needed a priest, but as she's now part of their party, they should consider each other friends.

Actually, this episode still does not convey that much of a story concisely, with much of the second ten minutes being used for quite some clips and static shots. But let me say this once more: the art style of Grimgar is great and quite relaxing. Let me add to that, by saying that they also know how to get good angles. So much inspiration for drawings...

In the scenes over the insert music, which I usually do not pay attention to, sadly (though a nice and upbeat tune), the group bought a helmet for Moguzo together, killed goblins together, and showcased their new skills and equipment as did an earlier episode. I still complain the lack of content, but good enough as eye candy.

And if killing goblins daily and getting called 'Goblin Slayers' wasn't enough on showing how their teamwork has gotten much fluid, Mary ate dinner with the group! Character development really is the focus here, however bad a job they are doing.

Once more, Manato showed up. Haruhiro said about how much their group has developed. And that's true, compared to the story that has gone nowhere for half a season. Overall, this episode of Grimgar is a heartwarming one, with plenty of scenes that are quite emotional, when talking about their backgrounds.

As a bonus, we got another art for the ending. Nice, nice watercolor-y painting.

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Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is originally a light novel by Ao Juumonji, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.

GATE S2 - Episode 7: A Humorous Complication

Last episode, the politics of the Empire took a turn for the worse, and with Zolzal taking the lead, conflict with Japan will only increase. This episode 7 of GATE, Dangerous Sisters, shall be the proper beginning of that conflict, though with amusingly humorous scenes between Lelei and her sister. Spoilers ahead, intentional or otherwise.

Zolzal immediately approves of the dishonorable tactics his new generals came up with, with Pina yelling out her concerns about morality. Then she encountered the other brother, Diablo, who was running away to gather other nations to remove Zolzal.

Finally, we could see Pina again, voicing her concerns of the war as usual. Besides that, again these first scenes compare the barbaric and deceitful way of doing war by the fantasy world, compared to Japan. Let the propaganda begin again.

It seems the politicking only gets that far. The rest is pretty much all fun and laughs. We return to Rondel, where Itami, the girls, the master magician, and Lelei's sister were chilling out.

See, more references on how our current civilization is much better... how Japan is better. But anyway, the laughs were when Lelei's sister yelled around about how she will be doomed when book prices go down, as she painstakingly copies them in her spare time. Usual comically crazy stuff.

But after that, the history of the world was explained to us, that actually all elves came from the Gate, and humans were the newcomers. The Gate became dormant again, until now. Fascinating tale, though it doesn't explain why their technology remained stagnant for at least a thousand years--Rory's age.

Then, more laughs were played during the scene at the restaurant, when Lelei's sister finally broke down (after ridiculous scenes and some usual innuendos) and smashed one bowl full of something that looked like pumpkin soup.

Weird culture, I know. And even weirder was that, after that, it became an all-out duel between sisters.

The battle was clunky at best, sadly. It was just not that... fluid and natural to me, for some reason. The animation was just not that great if compared to the fights of the last two episodes. This one, while quite fantastical in scale as usual, was just not that epic, for lack of vocabulary. It does show the amount of rivalry between them, which was nice as well.

With the battle ending in a tie, suddenly there was a man with a crossbow who wanted to eliminate Lelei, perhaps due to envy, though considering the dirty tricks the Empire will be using, an assassination attempt may also be possible.

The sudden assassin was suddenly stabbed by a captain, who trusted Itami to work together to protect a citizen of the Empire, Lelei. However, Itami said that they were going to run. Where, and why, we shall find out next episode.

Meanwhile, Tyuule the warrior bunny also made political moves to further entrench Zolzal's dictatorship. Again, how wil this new government continue, we shall see.

This episode was all-around funny and light, save for a couple of important developments in the politics, which gives us promise of a more complex story. Sure, the nationalism and propaganda and innuendos still continue, but I do hope the story will make us turn  blind eye on those.

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GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri is originally a light novel by Takumi Yanai, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.